No cupcake wars for me...

sooooooooo - I consider myself pretty talented...you want flowers? I can grow them, arrange them, whatever you want - I sew a mean pair of pajamas (and dog tanks, btw) - I can faux finish walls, refinish, distress furniture - make jewelry - fix jewelry and decorate with the best of them...one thing I can't QUITE get, though...is baking...I try...But, I think the problem is all the EXACT measurements and me trying to substitute lower calorie items for yummy butter, eggs and oil...well, at least I thought that was problem. 
While browsing pinterest the other day I came upon a picture that read "skinny cupcakes...two ingredients" How hard could this be I asked myself? I quickly pinned the picture and later read through hastily of how diet soda and a box of funfetti make fabulously moist rich delicious cupcakes...I tracked the original post here:http://www.fashionmeetsfood.com/2011/11/skinny-funfetti-cupcakes.html
here this wonderfully talented blogger shows in simple steps how to make these skinny cupcakes. Well...tonight was the night...I was going to make my OWN skinny cupcakes!! Here is how it all went down...

funfetti and diet dew!! (could it get any better??)
As instructed, I added the mix and the soda, beat the lumps out and proceeded then to "check" the recipe..Well, it said to use a 1/3 cup of mix in the cupcake cups. (here's where I always jack up) so I think to myself..."why dirty a measuring cup?" so I just filled them...about two tablespoons full. So as they were baking...they started to look strange...but I thought it would all even out and I got to work on the skinny frosting....here are the instructions from fashion meets food
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Whipped Frosting 

Ingredients

• 1 (8 oz) Container Cool Whip

• 1 (8 oz) or use 4 oz. Sugar Free Vanilla Pudding Mix

• Food coloring if desired

Directions

• Whisk the Cool Whip and Sugar Free Vanilla Pudding together (and food coloring if desired) until the ingredients are combined. Be careful you don't over mix.

• Chill whipped topping until you are ready to frost the cupcakes. 

 

sooooooooo - here is what I did:

I took the pudding mix...MADE the pudding by adding milk...then went to add it to the cool whip and realized it meant add the mix TO the cool whip....NOT make the pudding then add to cool whip....

 

by this time, I am thinking of just trashing the whole thing...but I held out and when the cupcakes were done (er, the timer went off and toothpick came out clean) here is what they looked like.

 

ok...so the two in the back are not good...but not TOO bad???

So, I had set the "frosting" in the fridge hoping it would set up and be at least thick enough to somewhat stay on...

I let the cupcakes cool (which I have never done before) and then proceeded to frost them...

so, the frosting is a little runny...I learned a lesson....the cupcakes (and frosting) taste great and I may possibly have a successful cupcake blog one day...possibly....